My previous work uncovered a molecular mechanism whereby the activity of transcriptional enhancers in NSCs encodes the final position of excitatory neurons in the mouse cerebral cortex.
Our specific research interests include:
- Transcriptional and epigenetic control of neuronal fate-specification in the developing cortex
- Evolution of transcriptional regulation in cortical neural stem cells
- The role of chromatin-modifications in maintaining neuronal identity and function
Research areas:
- Chromatin, Chromosomes, and Genome Integrity
- Developmental Mechanisms and Regulation in Eukaryotic Systems
- Genomics and Bioinformatics
- Evolution
We focus our studies in the cerebral cortex – the mysterious neuronal forest (paraphrasing Santiago Ramón y Cajal) that commands higher cognition in humans.
We also study the role of the epigenome in maintaining the identity and function of cortical neurons in the mature brain during the lifespan of an organism.
To further explore these ideas, we are currently working on several experimental approaches to test whether a code of histone methylations/acetylations within the regulatory genome of neural stem cells is critical to control later stages of neurogenesis.
Furthermore, we are studying the mechanisms by which epigenetic dysregulation in mature cortical neurons might trigger cellular senescence and neurodegeneration.
Research Interests:
- functional genomics of mammalian brain development; epigenetic control of neurogenesis and neuronal fate specification; evolution of transcriptional regulation in neural stem cells
